Rumbi Voodoo Chicken Salad

For the salad:
Lettuce
Feta Cheese
Diced Tomatoes
Crushed Tortilla Chips or Homemade Strips
Voodoo dressing
Cooked chicken, approximately 1/2 breast per person (diced, shredded, etc.)

For the dressing: (you may want to cut this recipe in half if you don't want tons of leftovers)
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup Lime Juice
1/4 cup Chili Paste (found in the asian food section)
2 TBS. Crushed Red Pepper
3/4 cups Lit Mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups Sesame Oil
1 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1 1/2 cups White Sugar
1/4 cup Minced Garlic
1/3 cup Pureed Ginger (found in the produce aisle)

Directions: Mix all of the dressing ingredients, except the ginger, in a bowl with a hand mixer for a couple minutes. Add the ginger and stir with a whisk until well blended. Break up lettuce in a bowl, add warm chicken, tortillas, feta cheese, tomatoes, and the dressing.

Terikaki Pasta Salad

¾-1 package penne noodles (package being 18 ounces)
¼ c sesame seeds
½ cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce (Veri Veri Teriyaki is the best)
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 ½-3 tablespoons sugar (depends on teriyaki sauce, if you use a sweet kind, you don’t need as much)
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken breast (2-3 breasts)
1/3 cup fresh parsley
½ cup green onions, chopped (optional)
1-2 can mandarin oranges (I use 2)
8 cups spinach

Cook noodles, drain and rinse.
Cook sesame seeds in 2 tablespoons of the oil until golden brown.
Saute cut up chicken in a little oil with a little teriyaki sauce, or grill whole breasts then cup up after grilling.
Mix cooked sesame seeds, remaining oil, teriyaki sauce, white wine vinegar, sugar and pepper.
Pour mixture over cooked chicken breast and noodles.
Refrigerate for 2 hours (Best overnight in airtight container)
In large bowl put spinach and then pour the chicken and pasta mixture over it.
Top with parsley and slivered almonds and mandarin oranges.
I like to toss it all together.

Pasta Primavera

Alfredo Sauce:
7 Tbs. butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups heavy cream (I occasionally use evaporated milk and that works too)
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 cups mozarella cheese
Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic, cream and pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir often. Add parmesan cheese and cook 8-10 minutes. When it thickens add in mozarella cheese and stir often.

Steam:
4 carrots, sliced thinly
2 cups cauliflower
Steam carrots & cauliflower 6 minutes then add in
2 cups broccoli and steam 4 more minutes.

Boil:
Package of fettucine noodles or angel hair pasta.

Grill or Broil:
2-3 chicken breasts (6 min. one side them flip & 6 min. other)
I brine my chicken first (let soak in a water, salt, sugar mixture) then put a little olive oil on them and sprinkle with Johnny's Seasoning Salt.

I place my chicken in a brine maybe an hour before I am going to begin cooking (if you don't it's not the end of the world). I start by putting a pot of water on to boil for my noodles and turning on my oven or barbeque. While waiting for this to boil I chop up my vegetables. By the time I am done chopping up vegetables, the water is boiling and I put my noodles in and begin cooking my vegetables. I then start my alfredo sauce and put my chicken in the oven & set timer for 6 min. After I have added all to the sauce except for the mozarella, the timer should go off at which time I flip the chicken, putting olive oil and seasoning on the up side, and reset the timer for 6 minutes. I add the broccoli to the steaming carrots & cauliflower. I continue with the sauce and add the mozarella before the chicken comes out of the oven. When the timer goes off everything should be done. I pull the chicken out and let it cool slightly while I drain the noodles, pour the sauce over and add the vegetables. I slice the chicken and toss that in.

I know this sounds overwhelming but I can make this healthy delicious meal in 20 minutes. I have just found with this order and timing it all works real smooth. My whole family loves this meal and it is what my daughter requests for her birthday. You can vary the meat and vegetable amounts. Sometimes I just put a lot of vegetables and leave out the meat.

Buttermilk Cornbread

1/2 c. melted butter
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
Mix dry ingredients together. Combine wet ingredients in separate bowl then add to dry mixture; mix. Pour into sprayed 9 by 13 pan. Sprinkle the top generously with sugar (makes a really nice glaze on top), and bake at 375 for 30 minutes (check at 25 minutes) or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
This goes really well with Chicken Tortilla Soup or any chili. It is the best corn bread you'll ever have!

Cafe' Rio Salad Dressing

1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch
3 Tbsp. salsa verde
(small can of green salsa in Mexican section of store)
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 small clove garlic (I use more)
3/4 c. mayo (can be light or not)
3/4 c. sour cream (can be light or not)
grated lime peel and juice to taste
(be careful that it doesn't overpower)Buttermilk to thin

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.
This can be used with the Cafe' Rio Pork if you want to make a salad. I usually use Romaine lettuce with the meat because it is a little hardier with the weight of the meat, and that's what they use at Cafe' Rio.

Cafe' Rio Pork

1 3-4 lb. boneless pork roast (I get mine at Costco)
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. salsa (roasted tomato is best...I get a big jug of Arriba brand at Costco)
1 can Coke (NOT diet)

Cook all together in a crock pot for 8 hours on low. Remove pork from juice, cut off fat, and shred. Skim whatever fat you can off juices and return shredded pork to juices. Freezes really well (with all the juices.) Just reheat in crock pot.
Serve with:
tortillas (we like the ones you cook yourself from Costco)
sour cream
guacamole
fresh salsa
cilantro
lettuce
cheese
You can also use the meat in quesadillas or in enchiladas with olives, green chiles, cheese and covered with enchiladas sauce and then baked for 30-45 minutes.

Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients
7 TBS butter (don't use a 1/2 cup, it gets too thin)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 parmesan cheese
3/4 cups mozarella cheese

Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic, cream and pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir often. Add parmesan cheese and simmer 8-10 minutes.When sauce has thickened add mozarella cheese and stir often.

I love this sauce for dipping with bread sticks, french bread or even as a fondue for an appetizer. You can also use it as a sauce over noodles. Use it all when you make it because it does not reheat well, but is definitely delicious!

Pretzel Salad

Ingredients

2 1/2 c. stick pretzels
3 TBS butter, melted
1 1/2 c. sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. cool whip
1 1/2 c. boiling water
6 oz. raspberry jello
2 12 oz. bags frozen mixed berry

Place the pretzels in a cookie sheet with raised edges. Pour the melted butter over the pretzels to coat, then sprinkle with 1/2 cups sugar. Stir them around so the pretzels are coated with the butter and sugar. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 5-10 minutes until the pretzels begin to brown and the sugar hardens onto the pretzels. Set aside until they cool.

Mix the cream cheese with 1 cup sugar, until creamy. Stir in the cool whip and set aside.

Dissolve the 6 oz. raspberry jello into the 1 1/2 boiling water. Stir until the jello is completely dissolved. Add 2 12 oz. bags of frozen mixed berries into the hot jello mixture. This will begin to thicken quickly.

Place the cooled pretzel mixture in the bottom of a glass 13 X 9 pyrex pan. Next layer the cream cheese mixture. Layer the jello berry mixture on the top. Refridgerate until time to serve.

This recipe became a family holiday must only a couple of years ago when a new sister-in-law brought it to Thanksgiving. We can't ever decide if it is a salad or dessert, only that we love it!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

4 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. dried cilantro
1 Tbsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder (or regular chili powder if you can't find it, but definitely best with the chipolte)
5 c. water with 5 chicken boullion cubes (or 5 tsp. boullion granules)
1 16 oz. jar medium chunky salsa
1 15 oz. can white corn, drained
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

Put all ingredients into crock pot.

Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 5-7 hours (better).

Serve topped with shredded Moneterey Jack cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, diced avocados, and tortilla chips.

This soup is one of my family's favorites!

Fresh Tomato and Basil Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium/small onion, finely chopped
6 tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 garlic clove, roughly chopped
2 14oz. cans of chicken broth (28 oz. or 3 ½ cups)
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste
2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil (or about 1 tablespoon dried)
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and ground black pepper

Heat the oil and butter in a large pan until foaming. Add the onion and cook gently for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened, but do not allow to brown. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and garlic, then add the broth, sun-dried tomato paste and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, then lower the heat, half-cover the pan and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the tomatoes from sticking to the base. Allow to cool. Pour the soup into a food processor or blender. IF THE SOUP IS NOT COOL, IT WILL SPRAY ALL OVER WHEN BLENDED. Add the basil and blend to a paste. Add the heavy cream and heat through, stirring. Do not allow the soup to boil. Check the consistency and add more broth if necessary. Adjust the seasoning, pour into bowls and garnish with whole basil leaves. Serve immediately.

*After adding the tomatoes, broth and sun-dried tomato paste to the onions you can blend it before cooking it. I do this when I’m in a hurry.